Candle
by Wolf in the Walls
Summary: Everyone has a story to tell, and though Link's story seems complete, he is about to learn more about himself than anyone wants to know, mainly the truth about his mother...
1. Wandering Knight: A Girl of Grays

Candle

A legend of Zelda fic...

With only three OCs!

There's Lady Nexus, the free knight

And the two others will be found out later.

So there.

Nyaaa.

Anyways...

I own nothing but the three OCs and the plot.

Some of this stuff makes no sense whatsoever.

But in the end it will be okay.

Some of this is stolen from certain animes.

I don't own it either.

So there.

And bla.

Anyways...

I think I shall begin.

Somewhat now.

Enjoy!

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Candle

The Lady Knight: a Girl of Grays

_One day the whole world looks _

_Like an open page_

_You've been dancing as fast as you can_

_With a smile on your face_

_And my feet can't stay on the ground any longer_

_With every leap of faith I feel a little stronger_

_Wanna swing from a star_

_In the big blue sky_

_Don't want to watch it all go by_

_So I'm gonna fly_

Spring had just begun in Hyrule. Cherry blossoms were forming on the trees, and everything seemed to be rebirthing itself. Link opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He yawned and kicked the covers off his bed before getting dressed. He ran his finger through his blonde hair and stepped outside to face the day.

There was a note tied to the railing of his house. Link took the bit of parchment from the wood and unrolled it. His blue elven eyes scanned the writings for a moment before he sighed and whistled for Epona. She trotted over the hill, nearly running one or two of the little Kokiri as she came. Link jumped down the ladder and into Epona's saddle. He whistled again and she trotted in the direction of Hyrule castle.

He left Epona outside the castle and made his way to the courtyard.

Standing there was not only Zelda, but another woman he didn't recognize. She was not much older, or taller than either of them. Her hair was short and blue-gray, and her eyes were a blazing green. She was not Hylian, not remotely elfin.

Silver armor mostly covered the left half of her body, her tube-top sized breastplate sculpted into the head of a dragon, the plate armor attached by belts around her body. Her shoulders had plates over them, as did her knee-high boots. She had a knife strapped to her thigh, in plain sight. Her gloves went to her elbows, and likewise hand the same plate-style to them, from being on the backs of individual fingers to the rest of the way like gauntlets. Her turtleneck and baggy leggings were both dark gray, and she wore a sword but no shield.

Her face, which was once beautiful, was now marred by one great scar over her right eye, and another one tracing from below her left eye to under her chin and vanishing beneath her turtleneck.

"Oh, Link, you're here." Zelda said, turning away from the woman.

"Hi. What did you call me for?" Link asked, feeling slightly nervous around this woman.

"This is Lady Nexus, a free knight. She's staying here for a little while, and I thought it might be a decent idea if two heroes stuck together."

The woman bowed, but said nothing. Link, feeling dread in the back of his mind, agreed anyways. This was starting out to be a great day too. They left in silence. Link whistled for Epona. She looked up from grazing and trotted over. Nexus whistled too, and over the hill came a plucky little horse, smaller than Epona but appearing to be just as strong.

Link reserved a room in the local inn for her before they continued out into the land.

"What have you done? Why do people here call you a hero?"

Link was caught completely off guard by this question. The tone of her voice didn't help. She sounded cold, emotionless. Unable to do much else, he told her about his adventures in time. She nodded, taking in every word he said.

"And you?" Link asked, hoping to get some sort of answer.

"I save people from themselves." She said simply. She seemed sad, like there was something that she was hiding.

Link decided not to press the subject and instead headed towards Lon Lon Ranch. He had promised Malon that he would help her with some of the new, lively colts.

Upon arrival, they were greeted with a shrill, frightened scream. Epona's ears flicked forwards and she ran towards it, running to the barn wall facing the pasture. Malon had collapsed to her knees, in a hysteric shock. Her eyes were wide and her face was white with fear.

Link leapt from Epona before she stopped, landing nimbly at Malon's side. Nexus pulled her horse to a stop, dismounting and looking on. Link glanced at the wall, more disturbed than afraid.

Painted on the wall, in bright red blood, was a cross with a serpent curling around it.

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Chapter one! End!

Mya!


	2. Down Once More:Shadow Again

Candle

Don't ask me why it's called Candle...

I don't know!

So there.

Anyways...this is the chapter where everything gets good.

Sorta.

And bla!

Nexus does stuff...

And all is happy!

Okay, so I'm lying and you know it.

BLA!

Myaaa!

So there...

And now...

For your enjoyment...

The second chapter

Of Candle

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Candle

Down Once More: Shadow Again

_Touched  
You say that I am too  
So much of what you say is true  
I'll never find someone  
Quite like you  
Again  
I'll never find someone  
Quite like you _

_Like you  
_

_The razors and the dying roses  
Plead I don't leave you alone  
The demi-gods and  
Hungry ghosts  
God, god knows I'm not at home_

With Malon now resting in her room and the horses taken care of, Link and Nexus set out for Kakariko, in order to inform Talon of the strange goings-on at the ranch. Just outside the outer steps to the village, Epona stopped and refused to move on. She laced her ears back and backed up. Link dismounted, patting Epona once and nodding. Nexus dismounted as well, showing no signs of impatience.

Slowly and cautiously, the two ascended the steps to Kakariko Village.

Panic, disorder...well...mostly panic. Painted on almost every surface was the same cross and snake blood-painting. On doors, walls even on the windmill blades were this symbol. Everyone was in panic, convinced that this was a bad omen, that there was some great evil that was going to rapidly descend upon them. Finding Talon and informing him of the ranch's current condition, Link and Nexus ran around exploring more.

_Running to the graveyard..._

Nothing was touched in the graveyard, not even the flowers on gravestones. And to make things stranger, everything was dead silent. There were no poes wandering, no bugs skittering here and there, nothing. The two walked in slowly, Nexus taking the time to glance at the graves here and there. Link warped to the entrance to the Shadow temple, finding some discarded rope and waiting for Nexus to join him.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

Link stood completely still, listening for sounds within the temple. Like the graveyard, it was silent. All too quiet.

"I'm going in. You're welcome to join me."

"Gladly."

Armed with lanterns, they descended into the shadowy depths of the dead temple. Navigating over bottomless pits and under guillotine blades, they came to a platform on the far side of one of the rooms. Link was about to turn to one of the other platforms but Nexus stopped him.

"There is something beyond this wall." She said, tapping the stone wall with the back of her gauntlet. Link looked through his lens of truth, and saw nothing.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking slightly perplexed.

"Trust me."

Nexus reeled back and punched the wall. A crack appeared in the stone. She punched it again, and the stone crumbled, revealing a slope descending deeper into darkness. She picked up her lantern and motioned to the amazed Hylian next to her.

The two slid down into the dark hidden catacombs, completely unsure of what to expect.

"Be careful, I'm sure that all manner of stupid mousetraps await our toes in the dark." Nexus said, keeping any sort of emotion out of her voice.

Link smiled a bit, at least there was some humor to lighten up the mood.

They hit the bottom and walked down the long hallway, lit only by their lanterns. After about an hour of walking in silence, Link's eyes caught a glint of something before them. He walked ahead a bit and picked it up, examining it for a moment.

"Nexus, look at this." Link said, tossing his finding to her.

She caught it and examined it for a moment. It was a cross with a white serpent curled around it.

"We're closer." She said.

Link nodded, right before a door opened underneath his feet and he fell into the darkness below. The doors closed before Nexus could follow.

"Damnit." She hissed.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—OOF!"

Link landed on the stony floor with a thud, his lantern landing next to him, still lit. He heard the sounds of insects, and smelled something sickening. Upon standing and looking around, lantern in hand, he found piles of rotting Hylian corpses. Link jumped back before dropping to his knees and was granted a visit from the contents of his stomach. He coughed once before wiping his mouth and standing back up on shaky legs.

"Even vomiting doesn't help..."

He looked down the corridor behind him, and decided to start down it, the sick feeling inside of him diminishing slightly. After a few yards of so, a strange and echoing laughter surrounded him.

"You came...he said you would..."

Into the light came a woman in her mid thirties. She had long blonde hair and gray-blue eyes. Her Hylian ears were pierced several times. She wore purple robes and a rather sadistic smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Link asked.

The woman didn't answer. She pointed to the lantern and it was forced from Link's hand. He reached for his sword. At that moment, the same snake-and-cross symbol appeared below him. Spiteful and vengeful spirits rushed from the symbol with such speed and force that Link was unable to draw any weapon. Moments later, the overload of emotions was too much for our hero, and he passed out.

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All hate me for what will happen next!

You will hate me...bwahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa!

Mew.


	3. Emptiness: Can You Hear Me?

Candle

I still don't know why it's called Candle...

But it's early

Anyways...

This is the shock/depression chappy

And the truth...

Missing truth and forever

Kissing love and true your heart

Hold me tight with your arms so true

I believe in the chance of tomorrow's reality

I want to keep on hating lies

(Revolutionary Girl Utena end theme song)

And bla...

So...

Shall we begin?

Light the candles

And let us proceed

Down once more

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Candle

Emptiness: Can You Hear Me?

_The monster you're feeding, your lack of perception  
The things you will do to fulfill addictions  
The light at the end of your tunnel is closing  
What is it that your so afraid of exposing  
You'd give it all up for what there for the taking  
Whatever it takes to keep your hands from shaking_

When Link woke, the soft glow of candles surrounded him. He was on his knees, his ankles bound together by heavy iron chains. His arms were chained on either side of him, above his head. The end of the chains were nailed to the walls of the small stone chasm...obviously where the halls he had fallen into ended. But there was no visible door.

Link lifted his head to further inspect the room. There were candles, lit and hordes of them. The woman was kneeling before a stone throne, and on that throne was a man. He wore black armor, had pale skin, black hair and empty black eyes. His ears were slightly pointed, and he had demon horns protruding from his head.

Link's eyes spied a pile of his weapons and other useful items, sword, shield, ocarina and other random crap he had obtained. He sighed softly and returned his stare to the woman and demon.

"Nice to see that you're awake." The demon said, his voice like ice.

"The other symbols have vanished now." The woman said, holding a snake-cross pendant, similar to the one Link had found.

"Good. Now I can concentrate everything here."

The demon rose, the woman rising with him. He seemed to glide over the stone floor littered with bone fragments and jagged rocks. His black eyes met with Link's, looking more like obsidian mirrors.

"This is the famed Hero of Time. A fairy boy raised in the forest. He knows nothing of what is about to be told." The woman said, her voice as emotionless as Nexus.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" Link demanded, pulling against the chains.

"Who I am is not important. What matters now is what you know, or rather, what you don't know." The demon said.

"What are you talking about?"

An uneasy silence fell over them for a moment. The demon was trying to think of the most painful way to tell his tale.

"What were you told about the past, about the war and about why you were raised as you were, fairy boy?" The demon asked, a smile playing his pale face.

"I was told that my mother was trying to escape the war with me when I was barely a year old. She was injured and left me in the care of the Great Deku Tree. She died shortly after."

Another silence. The demon's smile grew wider, and two small knives appeared in his hands. Link's eyes widened slightly, focusing on the blades.

"Many and many a year ago, in the heat of the Great War, the only way a soldier could relax in points of quiet was to take a young girl and the two would go off and...make sweet music together. Soon, this became customary for the girls to sell themselves to the soldiers for a night or so..."

Link's focus shifted from the knives to the tale this demon was telling.

"When one of the girls became pregnant, most would leave their children to the jackals at night. But one girl, not wanting to make it known that she fed her child to the wild dogs of the towns, took her son to the forest. She wrapped him in cloth and threw him as far and as hard as she could, hoping that he would die. She then returned to her duties of sexing soldiers."

Link's eyes widened when he heard this. He had made the connection...but it...it couldn't be true.

"Liar! My mother is dead! She died protecting me from the war!" Link shouted, angry tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

The knives that Link had momentarily forgotten about were now used. The demon drove them through Link's palms, and pinned his hands to the stone. Link cried out once, now glaring at the demon with hate in his eyes. The demon loomed over Link, caressing his face in his hands.

"All this time...you never knew your mother was a whore."

The demon got closer.

"What if I told you that your mother was still alive?"

Tears escaped from Links eyes, running rivers down his face.

At that moment, one of the walls blew out to a doorway. Nexus was standing there, sword in her left hand and her right hand raised and ready. Her eyes were dark, and even though she hadn't heard the conversation, she didn't like how this scene looked. She stepped over the rubble she created, ready to kick some ass.

"What did you do to him!" She demanded, eyes now blazing.

The demon just laughed and snapped his fingers. The woman walked over, sword in hand. He took it from her and then shooed her back.

He jumped at Nexus, leaving Link limp and in shock. His great black sword swung at Nexus. She dodged, bringing her sword down on the demon's shoulder. Green blood spurted from the wound. The black sword came again. Nexus rolled under the blade and she slashed at his heel. His foot lashed out, knocking Nexus back. She pushed herself up, looking more like a cat at the moment, but wide open for an attack.

The blade came down at her, but Nexus was ready.

She swung her right hand up, black sword connecting with her gauntlet. There was a metallic "KLIIIING" sound as the sword bounced off her gauntlet and the demon lost his balance momentarily. Nexus was on her feet again, grinning and ready.

"Dragon scale armor, a gift from the God-Slayer Dragon himself." She said.

The demon grinned before rushing Nexus. She may have dragon armor, but there was little she could do with a head-on attack. Nexus dodged, but the demon's hand lashed out at her throat, catching her and slamming her into the floor. With her in his grasp, he proceeded to throw her around the room like a rag doll.

"I don't die this easily." Nexus hissed, pushing herself up after connecting with the wall.

Getting to her feet, she jumped from the demon's attack and landed squarely in front of Link, like a shield. The demon looked at her before laughing.

"If that is all you wish to take, then by all means, take him. He knows now." The demon said before bowing and vanishing into a plume of smoke. The woman remained, turning to look at them in scorn.

Nexus ignored her and turned her attention to Link, eyes still streaming tears. After wrenching the knives from Link's hands, Nexus took the knife that was strapped to her thigh and picked the locks to the chains. After Link had recovered all his lost items, Nexus helped him up the hallway she had found/created and out of the Shadow temple.

Link collapsed to the grass of the graveyard, obviously not wanting to go anywhere. Nexus knelt next to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"No."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No..."

"Are you going to be okay?"

Link didn't answer. He looked away, tears still streaming from his eyes, like blood from a wound that would never heal. Nexus flopped onto her back, staring up at the skies above her. Link laid down next to her, wiping the tears from his eyes. Nexus was about to move over, so there was some distance between them but Link stopped her.

"I know now. The symbols, everything was just to get us to the temple. That wasn't a major demon, just someone to spill the truth."

Nexus fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"I just don't know who that woman is." She said. Link shuddered.

"She...she was...is...my..."

"What? Your what?"

"My mother."

Nexus was about to stand, but Link grabbed her hand. Nexus got as far as sitting on her knees.

"Can we stay like this just a little longer?" He asked in a whisper.

Nexus nodded, and sat with Link resting his head in her lap. She sighed and looked up at the sky.

"Well, there is just one thing I can do...but that will have to wait for tomorrow..."

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Chap three end!

And it's not over yet!


	4. Hunter's Eyes: Go Deeper

Candle

This is Nexus...

Her chapter...

You will finally find out why...

Not why she is the girl of grays...

I'm gonna get thru this

Gotta take

Gotta take my mind off of you

Gaia help me get thru this

Without you people killing me...

I'm gonna get thru this...

Anyways...

I shall begin.

And we delve deeper

And deeper still

Down once more...

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Candle

Hunter's Eyes: Go Deeper

_You hold the answers deep within your own mind_

_Consciously you've forgotten_

_For that's the way the human mind works_

_Whenever something is too unpleasant_

_Too shameful for us to entertain_

_We reject it,_

_We erase it from our memories_

_But the answer is always there_

It was twilight. Link had eventually drifted off to sleep, head on the ground after migrating from Nexus's knee. Nexus, having been rather disturbed by the whole ordeal, decided to solve all of this by herself.

She stood up, making no sound. She drew her sword equally silent, and looked at the fairy boy at her feet. Sword in her left hand, she raised it high above her head. The silver side of the blade caught the fleeting sunlight as she brought it down swiftly. The blade buried itself in the ground millimeters from Link's head. It would now serve as a ward, a warning to all the restless souls lurking around in the dark.

Nexus turned and descended into the Shadow Temple once more. Cautiously working her way down into the room where she rescued Link, she now found only the woman there.

"Why do this? Why resort to sorcery?" Nexus asked.

"He wasn't supposed to live...he was supposed to die."

"Why kill him? He has done so much for this world."

"Because he is alive, he has fucked up everything."

"But why kill your only son? Your own flesh and blood?"

The woman looked at Nexus with crazed and hungry eyes, proof that her madness had taken her.

"Because he lived..."

Nexus pulled the knife from her thigh.

"Are you going to kill me?" The woman asked.

Nexus nodded, pulling her hidden knife from her boot.

"Then make sure that my blood soaks your armor like rain."

"I will, but I must know your name before I kill you."

"My name is Aziira."

"Farewell."

Nexus sprang forth, knives gleaming like stars. In a half step and several grand whirls later, there was nothing left of Aziira, but her blood was splashed all over the silver dragon-scale armor and the pale face of Nexus. She wiped her blades clean and returned to the outside world. One problem had been taken care of. If she had let Aziira live, the bitch would have just tried to kill her son again.

Nexus returned to Link, still asleep. She knelt next to him, gently brushing a few strands of his stray golden-blonde hair out of his face. She closed her eyes, and separated herself from this plane.

She focused on Link, leaving herself to enter his mind.

She opened her eyes, no longer green but a blazing yellow with the great black insignia of the God Slayer Dragon. These were her Hunter's Eyes. They were her entrance into people's minds. This was how she saved people.

Upon opening her eyes, she found her self as she always was in one's mind, naked. The scar under her left eye traced fully down her neck, between her teacup-sized breasts and down to her ankle. The one over her right eye, though hidden by her hair, revealed itself on the back of her neck and tracing down her back and down her thigh to her opposing ankle. This was normal.

Nexus looked around her. She was standing on a wire, and the wire was resting on a lake of silver. This was the safest and most organized part of Link's mind, his prenumbril. Nexus looked at the lake. Silver water was a cover-up, and in the mind, it was not even water.

Nexus let her balance sway and she plunged deeper into Link's near umbril.

Passing through with no problems, she ventured further, into the darkness, the lust, the nightmares and the chaos. The deep umbril of the mind.

Nexus landed softly on a bed of shriveled, dead, lily petals. She looked at the inky blackness around her, and then at the two great door before her. This was her path, her beginning. She took a deep breath and momentarily traced her fingers over her scars.

"I can't fail..." She whispered before stepping through the doors.

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Chapter end!

Next: Dream Catcher


	5. Dream Catcher: Spider Web of The Self

Candle

Chapter five!

And now we start the stages.

The world is our stage.

Or in this case...

"This is our stage, we don't need extras"

Up first is the...

Wait and see!

Keep the death threats to a minimum please.

And now...

We shall descend.

Go deeper...

Delve deeper

Down beyond

And further still

The unknown is before you

Do you dare to venture down

To go deeper?

Go deeper

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Candle

**Dream Catcher**: Spider Web of the Self

_I took their smiles and I made them mine.  
I, I sold my soul just to hide the light.  
And now I see what I really am,  
A thief a whore, and a liar.  
I run to you,  
Call out your name,  
I see you there, father away. _

Nexus walked through the doors and into a long stretch of hallway. This was always a sign of confusion. While the hunter walks down a hall, the mind can decide what it should show first. Nexus began to walk.

Before long, she came to a door. It was of wood, and there were spiders crawling in and out of the holes. The wood appeared almost new, like it had been freshly cut. There was a great spider insignia carved into the door. The little spiders darting here and there were all black. Black Widow spiders to be exact. This did not mean death, but their hourglass mark was a symbol of time.

Beyond this door was a step into the past.

Nexus placed one hand on the door. The wood rotted away instantly and the spiders became dust. Beyond the door was a thin wire. This white wire shot forwards, weaving itself into a web, or a dream catcher. Nexus took one cautious step onto the webbing. It supported her weight. Even more cautiously, she ventured forth.

In the center of this web was a child. The child Link, what he once was.

The child was sitting on the web, looking fearfully at what was beyond it. Nexus slowly approached him. When she got close enough to be seen, the child jumped to his feet and hugged her, holding on for dear life. He didn't seem to notice that she was naked. Nexus knelt down and held him.

"What is your name child?" She asked, knowing full well who it was.

"Link..."

"Why are you afraid?"

Young Link pointed to the darkness beyond the web. Nexus cautiously peered into the inky blackness. Rising up at her suddenly were monsters, horrid and vile minions that take refuge in your deepest and darkest nightmares. There were rotting corpses of the undead, great serpents with fangs dripping poison, unspeakable visions and vengeful wraiths.

They surged up at them with such speed and ferocity. Nexus scooped up the child Link and jumped. The monsters were soon ensnared by the web.

Nexus landed on one of the outer strands of web. The monsters all glared at her. If she had left him there, they would have devoured him---pulled him through the dream catcher and consumed him.

"Link, what do you love, more than anything? Name some of your favorite things in the entire world." Nexus said as the monsters strained and struggled, threatening to break the web.

Link hesitated.

"I like my friends." He said, as if he was unsure of what was asked of him.

The web grew stronger.

"Anything else? Are there other things you love?" Nexus asked.

"I like white flowers and cherry blossoms. They're so pretty."

"Yes...I like them too." Nexus said, probing for more.

"I like Epona." Nexus decided that now she'd continue to bluff.

"Who is Epona?"

"She's a horse. Maybe I'll be able to ride her when I'm old enough."

There was a horrid sound from the monsters. The web had become so strong that it was cutting them. They screamed more and more as they were sliced to bits, returning them to the darkness beneath.

Nexus returned to the center. She set young Link down and patted him on the head.

"Link, as long as you think about all the wonderful things in your life, those monsters can never harm you."

He nodded.

"Continue to dream. For as long as you can find something, you can defeat them. Believe in your future."

He nodded again, and smiled.

The room vanished around Nexus, and she was returned to the hallway. She sighed and continued forth, smiling to herself. She walked on, mildly wondering what would be revealed to her next.

Behind her, a lone spider began to spin a web in a corner of the hall.

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Chapter end!

Next is the Rose Birdcage!


	6. Rose Birdcage: If Only

Candle

The next level!

And deeper yet!

This one is fun.

They will get more interesting the deeper we go.

This is place

A different memory

Guilt

Pain

Suffering

What might have been is here and now.

The forest ghost

And a Dark Link entrance later on!

YAY! DL!

Although PFM ownz his ass.

It makes me sad.

Anyways...

Down once more!

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Candle

**Rose Birdcage**: If Only...

_Memories are just where you laid them  
Dragging waters 'til the depths give up their dead  
What did you expect to find?  
Was it something you left behind?  
Don't you remember everything I said when I said_

Don't fall away  
And leave me to myself  
Don't fall away  
And leave love bleeding in my hands

Nexus came upon a second door. This one was more of a gate. It was made of iron, entwined with ribbon, black satin, and the fur of some animal she could not identify. This was guilt. Beyond this door were the saddening emotions of guilt, frustration, pain and possibly sorrow. The gate swung open before Nexus and she stepped through.

Her feet touched down on cobblestones. There were people moving around her and through her, pushing forwards towards a stage. Nexus jumped, soaring and floating over the crowd and up to the stage. There was a great gilded cage sitting before the people, though it was covered by black satin. Nexus concentrated.

She heard a voice.

_That shouldn't have happened..._

_That should have been me..._

_This should have happened to me..._

A man—a soldier—walked up to the stage. He shouted some words and the crowd cheered again. The cage was removed, revealing its lack of bottom and a wooden pole. Tied to this pole was the Hylian hero himself. Nexus head the voice again.

_I should have been the one..._

Floating behind the stage for a moment, Nexus spotted a little white thing. It looked like a cross between a panther, a wolf, and a wingless dragon. It mewed once before Nexus floated back over the stage. The soldier shouted something about a "Forest Ghost". Nexus assumed it was the white thing. There were more shouts about killing it. But instead of flushing out the baby Forest Ghost, a group of soldiers with pitch forks and spears came on the stage.

_That should have been me..._

_I should have been..._

Nexus cried out in horror as the points drove themselves into Link. The people were laughing as his blood was spilling everywhere. The voices soon were muted, but Nexus watched in revulsion as there were more stabs and more blood.

Then it clicked.

"Link, this is not the reality." She said solemnly.

The images ruptured and shattered. Nexus was left with a saddened image of Link clutching this carcass of the little Forest Ghost. Nexus floated over, silent as the haunting voice echoed off the nothingness.

_I had saved it when I was a child... _

_But they took it from me, saying it was possessing me and making me evil... _

_Then I watched helpless as they stabbed it to death..._

_All I could think of was that maybe it should have been me... _

Nexus said nothing. She could do nothing to mend this wound. She was returned to the hallway. Saying nothing at fist, she stood in silence for a moment.

"Link, I don't know if you're listening to me or not...but..."

There was a bit of silence as the words resonated from the walls.

"You must stop blaming yourself. Not all guilt you feel is yours."

Nexus continued on, wondering what she would encounter next.

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Next is...

The Watery Hall

Enjoy!


	7. The Watery Hall: The Shadow Of Me

Candle

The Watery Hall!

And our dear sweet DL makes his little guest appearance!

Dear Nexus-chan!

And now shall we begin?

Nexus goes deeper

(Go deeper)

And into the depths

(Go deeper)

Can she find salvation?

(Go)

Or hell?

(Deeper)

Ah…

The sweet suspense to addict like a drug.

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Candle

**The Watery Hall**: The Shadow of Me…

_Who are they  
Where are they  
How can they possibly  
know all this  
Who are they  
Where are they  
How can they possibly  
know all this_

Nexus continued on, pressing deeper and deeper. She knew that there was more to come, much more, and much darker secrets hidden within the countless doors presented to her in this hallway. The hallway became filled with a faint mist, and water gathered around her feet. The next doorway was about to appear.

It was a mirror, but the reflection was not Nexus.

It appeared to be Link, but a darker version. This Link wore a black tunic, and his ruby eyes carried a playful sadistic look to them. His blonde hair was tipped with black, and there was a sinister hell-forges sword at his back. He bowed politely and offered Nexus his hand.

"You are the shadow." Nexus said.

"Yes, that is me."

Nexus took his hand and stepped through the mirror door.

They were floating, and below, they watched a battle long past.

"You manifested once." Nexus said.

"Yes. I fought with him. He beat me physically, but I will always be here, inside his head. Link is not the hero everyone thinks he is."

"I could guess."

Swords clashed below them. Nexus glanced down at the battle momentarily as she waited for the shadow to continue.

"Upon returning, he could never shut the images of everything he's done out of his head. He kept everything bottle up inside. But just recently, he began to…well…"

"He tried to kill himself, didn't he?" Nexus asked. The shadow nodded.

"He has scars on his wrists that he keeps hidden from the world. He would give everything if he could die."

"Do you keep him alive?"

"I am here, in his dreams every night. I confront him, I try to convince him that everything will be alright in the end."

Nexus stayed silent. She looked at her own scars. The shadow looked on.

"Have you been here since I came as well?" She asked. The shadow nodded.

"I have seen it all."

The shadow bowed again as they were returned to the hallway. Nexus watched the mist recede and the water evaporate. The shadow turned to her once more.

"Maybe you will be the one to save him, for I cannot."

The shadow vanished. Nexus looked down the hallway. There was no safe barrier now. There was a great evil pulling her. There was once last battle to be seen before she reached the core. This was the hell. Nexus began walking, confident in her abilities.

But the deeper she went, the louder was Link's screaming.

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Chapter 7 end!

The next is something which I forgot the name of!

Hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Lethat Lunacy

Candle

This is the one last step before the end.

One final descent.

There is this and then the core

Nexus goes deeper

And deeper still

Almost to the core, yet far away

I'm going under

The reality is warped,

Everything is twisted

Twisted people

Thinking in twisted ways

Descend

Go deeper

Ah…

The sweet suspense to addict like a drug.

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Candle

**Lethal Lunacy**

_Don't fall away  
And leave me to myself  
Don't fall away  
And leave love bleeding in my hands  
In my hands again  
Leave love bleeding in my hands  
In my hands  
Love lies bleeding_

And I wanted  
You turned away  
You don't remember  
But I do  
You never even tried

Nexus came upon a great black door. A black gate made of bones. The door handles were black skulls with ruby eyes. Nexus paused. There was a great evil beyond this door. Her green Hunter Eyes caught sight of blood leaking from the door. There was something important beyond these bones, but Link's own mind hand been unconsciously twisting it and making it worse than it was. He couldn't stop it, and it manifested itself in nightmares every evening.

Nexus opened the gate.

Link was thrown back into a wall, blood spurting from his wounds and spraying from his mouth. A man that Nexus didn't recognize shot another bolt of black energy at Link, who slashed at it with his sword. They played tennis with it back and forth until it hit the man. Link shot and arrow of light at him before running up and slashing him with his sword.

This was a dangerous dance.

Link's blood was everywhere, splattered over the walls where he had hit. Nexus watched in horror and mortification as Link made one careless step and the man grabbed him by the throat. Nexus screamed as Link was smashed against the wall again. Blood burst from his wounds and his mouth as he tried to free himself.

Link was released, only to be kicked into the opposite wall. His sword went flying back, far out of his reach. Nexus watched with a solemn face as blood flew and cries of pain rang. A strange smile played her face.

"Link, this is not real." She said softly.

The images before her shattered. A phantom appeared before her, grinning like a fiend. Nexus stood firm.

"Are you the one who has been twisting these images?"

"Yes I am. I am free to roam his mind, unchecked and free. What are you going to do to me? Banish me?"

"I'm going to destroy you."

Nexus held her hands out, Hunter Eyes glowing dangerously. The phantom laughed, rushing towards her to try and infiltrate her mind as well. Nexus spoke in strange words and white lightning shot from her body. The phantom screamed and was reduced to nothingness. Nexus sighed.

"Link, when are you going to stop lying to yourself? I know that the real world is not like our mind twists it to be."

Nexus crossed her arms and watched as everything around her broke and became shards. She had made it to the core, and hell would break loose.

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Chapter 8 done!

A few more to go!


	9. Unborn Soul

Candle

Finally! An update!

One of the final chapters!

Here we have reached the core

The heart of it all!

Which means that the end is near

Drowning in the dreams

We've passed

The Dream Catcher

The Rose Birdcage

The Watery Hall

And

The Puppet Stage

All that's left is the core

And all the rest is darkness

The sweet suspense to addict like a drug

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Candle

**Unborn Soul**

_There are just too many times that people have tried to look inside of me  
Wondering what I think of you and I protect you out of courtesy  
Too many times that I've held on when I needed to push away  
Afraid to say what was on my mind afraid to say what I need to say  
Too many things that you've said about me when I'm not around  
You think having the upper hand means you gotta keep putting me down  
But I've had too many standoffs with you it's about as much as I can stand  
And I'm waiting until the upper hand is mine_

Nexus sank into the gray, quietly touching down on velvet. Before her, in the darkness, was a large egg. Nexus walked up to it and looked inside the frosted glass shell. As suspected, Link was quietly resting inside. Like Nexus, he was naked. Nexus turned away and leaned against the glass eggshell.

"All is black and cruel is fair. When will you wake?" She said.

Silence.

Nexus sighed and stood up. If he wasn't going to wake on his own, she would have to wake him herself. That was much easier said than done. If someone couldn't wake on their own, they would sit in their fantasy world forever. Nothing would begin and nothing would end.

"Maze…where are you when I need you?" She asked herself. Silence answered her.

Nexus set to work, and a long and tedious task that it would be. Since she was without Maze, and her sword, this would make thing so much more interesting.

"_The soul will die without being born_

_A soul that must be woken_

_Koryu, godslayer_

_Giver of the Hunter Eyes_

_I request aid_

_This soul must be reborn_"

A crack appeared in the shell. Nexus sighed. It was a start. Maybe she was too deep in the core to be working properly. Maybe she had rushed into this. Nexus banished the second thoughts from her head and took a step back. If a crack was all that spells were going to get her, then maybe a bit of brute force was in order.

Nexus kicked the crack, and it broke a little.

"Now we're getting somewhere."

"Are you trying to get past the barrier?"

Nexus wheeled to see the shadow once more. She nodded.

"Then I shall help you."

The two beat on the crack with all they had. A jagged hole appeared in the glass. Nexus looked over at the shadow and nodded. Nexus reached her hand through the hole, the glass slicing her skin and her blood everywhere.

"Link! You need to wake!" She shouted, reaching for him.

More cracks appeared in the glass as Link slowly turned to her. He hesitated.

"Link! If you stay here, nothing will begin and nothing will end!" Nexus cried, reaching further, cutting herself more.

Link grasped her hand. The glass shattered and wheeled around in formation. It angrily dove for Nexus, who bit her tongue and only winced and cringed as the shards buried themselves in her flesh.

But, as soon as she had descended, they woke.

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Short, but finally woken.

One more chapter!


	10. New Beginnings

Candle

The final chapter!

Sing!

Dance!

Or cry because it's the last chapter…

So…

What's everyone going to do when it's done?

Aside from cry over the lack of Twilight Princess…

Until April…

I promise to work on BE/RP too.

Anyways!

I will return you to your fic

Kinda…

Sort of…

Okay!

I'm beginning now!

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Candle

**New Beginnings **

_You laugh, you cry, no one knows why  
Behold the thrill of it all...  
You're on the ride  
You might as well  
Open your eyes_

When Link opened his eyes, Nexus was standing, ready to leave. He sat up and rubbed his head. Nexus removed her right gauntlet and looked at a series of new scars she had from the glass eggshell of the soul. Link stood up on shaky legs and walked over to her. She turned to him, putting her gauntlet back on.

"You don't need to thank me. I do this for a living." Nexus said. Link blinked.

"You do this all the time?"

"Yes. That's what every scar is from. The two great ones, the ones you see, are from when two souls rejected me."

Link was silent for a moment. He looked up at the entrance to the Shadow Temple.

"She won't come back." Nexus said. Link looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean?" Link asked. Nexus sighed and placed one hand on his shoulder.

"I killed her."

Nexus turned to walk away. Link stood there, frozen for a moment. He picked up his sword and walked after Nexus.

"Why? Why do this sort of thing for me?" Link asked. Nexus simply smiled.

"I didn't want your candle to go out, now…if you'll excuse me…"

Nexus whistled, and a great white dragon came from the sky. It had two legs, a long serpentine tail and neck. It had long, sharp teeth in the front of its mouth, and two large feather wings. Its lime-green eyes looked at Link. Link stared in awe. Nexus rolled her eyes.

"Maze, he's fine. I just finished." She said.

"Who--?"

"Link, this is Maze, my husband."

The dragon changed into a man with pale skin and long white hair. He retained his dragon ears and tail. Link's jaw dropped. Nexus laughed and Maze changed back. Nexus crawled onto this great dragon's back and they turned back to him for a moment.

"Continue to live, to fight. Your candle depends on it."

In one great beat of the feather wings, the two soared into the sky and vanished above the clouds. Link watched them for a moment before leaving the graveyard. Though he didn't know what Nexus had meant by his "candle", he would try. She had sacrificed for him, and Link had gained what he had lost. He knew things that he didn't, and some things that he didn't want to know.

But he would continue on, living in his own truth…

And his candle would continue to burn…

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Fanfic end!

If you enjoyed this…you'll enjoy

**Borrowed Time**, **Blue Eyes and Red Pools**, **Web of Time**, and **Unending Strings**.

Bye all!


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